Higher Education Policy Regarding The Graduation Of Every Student as a Moral Responsibility: A Case Study of the Controversy Surrounding Joko Widodo’s University Degree

Abstract

This systematic review examines the policy tension in Indonesian higher education arising from state pressure on universities to guarantee student graduation, a conflict dramatically exposed by the polemic surrounding President Joko Widodo's honorary degree. The study addresses a critical gap: while extensive media commentary exists, systematic peer-reviewed academic literature critically analyzing this policy remains conspicuously absent. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search of Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was conducted for English and Indonesian publications from 2014 to 2024. Thematic synthesis of the retrieved literature reveals a polarized academic debate between social justice and academic excellence perspectives, with institutional and stakeholder theories providing complementary but insufficient explanatory power. Notably, no quantitative empirical studies directly measuring the policy's impact were identified, underscoring the disconnect between public discourse and rigorous research. The review's principal contribution is the Moral-Academic Integrity Matrix, a novel analytical framework that separates the policy's moral claims from its academic consequences, enabling nuanced evaluation beyond the prevailing for-or-against binary. This instrument offers policymakers and university leaders a structured tool for reconciling state developmental ambitions with the academic duty of institutional integrity.